VIDEO: Watervliet row house residents still waiting for Nigro to close on their homes

Crews continue to demolish the former St. Patrick's Church in Watervliet Tuesday to make room for a new retail development which will include a state-of-the-art Price Chopper supermarket. (Mike McMahon / The Record)

A demolition crane exposes a one of the metal beams used to frame the former St. Patrick's Church in Watervliet on Tuesday. (Mike McMahon / The Record)

WATERVLIET -- As demolition of the former St. Patrick's Church hits full force, welcome mats, a colorful Disney flag, and a beautiful bird feeder still grace the row houses slated for demolition as part of the 19th Street supermarket project. The tenants of these brick edifices on the northern end of the property are still waiting to find out when they should move out of their long-time homes.

Leona Mielewski's family has lived in 510 and 512 23rd St. going back at least three generations. She said she her family was first approached by Albany-based developer Nigro Companies about the sale of the two-story properties more than one year ago.

"I was born and bred here," she said about the intended two-family residence at 510 23rd St. where she is now the lone occupant. "It was a tough decision, but I don't want a Price Chopper in my backyard."

Patricia Schlegel, Mielewski's sister-in-law, described what was happening as a "sin" and "a shame." But, she added, "The church is a big white elephant that the city can now use for revenue. It's tough watching this but it would be tough maintaining the upkeep for the old church and for our aging house."

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Schlegel lives in Schenectady with her husband, Walter, whose family has owned the two row houses for many years. At one time, she said, four of the row houses were owned by the Schlegel family. And 13 members of their family lived in 510 and 512 years back.

They had found a newspaper clipping in one of the homes that dated back to the 1870s, Schlegel noted.

Both Mielewski and Schlegel said that Nigro had been "very fair." They would not confirm if the offer from Nigro was more than the $175,800 assessed value for each property.

Michael Ramirez has lived as a tenant at 516 23rd St. for a dozen years. He's preparing to leave the site though he has not yet been informed when he must vacate the property, where he can hear the deconstruction of the church in his newly-renovated backyard.

"It's sad because people let things deteriorate. This is a good quality house and that was a good quality church," said the retired state employee.

Crowds of people have been gathering nearby the church to take their last photos and document the demise of the 1890 edifice. Fifth Avenue has been temporarily closed and 6th Avenue is closed to everyone except local traffic, both for safety reasons.

Nigro Companies' Steve Powers said the majority of the structure is expected to be demolished by the end of next week. He said the building had been leaning toward the east and they are being carefully with the demolition.

"There is no structural steel inside, which had been erroneously reported," he said.

The first interior columns were dismantled Wednesday.

Regarding the row houses, he said they are proceeding with their schedule and will continue with their plans for the six houses.

Rosemary Nichols with the Citizens for St. Patrick's said there were no legal updates.

The six houses are still under contract to be purchased by Nigro Companies but the closing and final sale of the homes has not yet occurred. Schlegel said the deal is active through this July.

"I wish they would update us sooner rather than later," said Schlegel, referring to figuring out a timeline for finding a new place for her sister-in-law to live.